


The Bones of You

by Lacrimacorona



Category: overwatch
Genre: M/M, Reaper76 - Freeform, and i mean technically the deaths are canon so, blind 76, but they come back so it's fine, hana and lucio are BFFS, implied mchanzo, just let the dads be happy, nobody trusts gabe, there are depictions of character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-22 06:57:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7424590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacrimacorona/pseuds/Lacrimacorona
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had seen each other die, and yet here they stood-- with another chance laid out before them. To understand, To heal old wounds, to get revenge, To right the wrongs done to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Given and Denied

There had been rumors. He had heard them all, inside talon and outside it as well. Vigilante bombings by a single man, uncovering information from the old days for others to find and disappearing again without a word. Carefully timed, carefully executed, and always successful.  
They’d said he was Morrison.

he’d watched the man die, he’d held him down while the fire raged around them with his hands around his throat; the best friend who had traded their relationship for fame and glory only to have it blow up in his face– quite literally, as it turned out. they were crushed together, he’d felt his ribs break under the weight of the equipment, half melted and searing into his skin. their blood had mixed on the floor and they were consumed by the flames together.

the next thing he felt was agony, all at the hands of ziegler who just couldn’t leave well enough alone. she’d told him after it was done that jack hadn’t made it, there’d been a funeral he hadn’t bothered to attend and a grave that people defaced.

there was no way this old man was Jack Morrison. it couldn’t be; he’d felt him die, he’d watched him die, it had been his fault. they’d died in eachother’s arms and he was unlucky enough to have been brought back by that damn scientist, but jack was dead. what was all of this for if Jack Morrison wasn’t dead? the fact that he was still alive, his recruitment to talon, the hunt for the agents that had brought this upon him to begin with.

He hadn’t felt this kind of single minded, violent determination in so many years, to know. To understand. To see that face and then destroy it.  
The vigilante had joined up with the ragtag bunch from the old days, a desperately pulled together team of former heroes and new faces calling themselves Overwatch, as if they were anything more than the shadow of what it had been with Morrison at its head. He went by a number, nothing else, and based on the intelligence they’d not a single team mate knew who he was under that visor. Soldier: 76. No name, no identity, just a number, like some cruel joke.

The visceral anger reyes felt in his chest was overwhelming on the field at first sight of him, dashing through the area and taking down enemies like it was nothing in what amounted to a plain leather jacket and some fatigues. He wore no armor, barely flinched when bullets caught him and opened his veins.

He would tear his throat out with his teeth.

“I have the shot.” Amelie’s voice practically cooed into his ear through the com link he wore, she knew how long he’d waited for this.

“Take him down.” Was his immediate response.  
——–  
“Mister six, snipers got you!!” The scream from the speaker of the pink mech came barely in time, and Jack whipped around and shot his helix rockets against the floor–sending him backwards just as the deep and familiar sound of the sniper rifle round ripped through the air. It did not miss him, but rather than through his skull it tore through his ribs and sent him to the floor. why hadn’t his visor told him about the target? had he missed it? he’d been so focused on the team’s well being he hadn’t even noticed, visor sending so many signals and so much information like a needle in his brain. Mercy was too far away, it would take her too long to get to him and the rest of his team needed the support more than he did. He pulled the portable med drop from his belt, His breath coming in wet gasps while his lung filled with blood– and suddenly there was only smoke.

The visor didn’t help him with it, couldn’t pick anything up through the thick blackness as a pressure formed over him, manifesting slowly into a body. He was blind again for a moment, the visor struggling to send information when it couldn’t detect anything through this shadow, until suddenly the outline of a man formed and the screen displayed the name ‘reaper’ sharp and static and alone. A knee came into contact with the wound on his side and all he could do was gurgle a shout at the pain, med pod dropped in his panic.

“I finally have you, boyscout.” Came that rhasping voice, and the searing heat of claws tore into the skin of his face as his mask and visor were torn away and he was left in blackness.

———

It was him.

Morrison, older and scarred and /not even looking at him/. The anger rose again like a crescendo and he hooked his hand under Jack’s jaw, fingers curling tight around his throat as he reveled in the sound of the other man choking on his own blood and the grip that held him. his old friend, here again pinned under him with his life’s blood draining fast and hot. seeing his face made something in his chest tighten hard, a vice grip around his ribcage. “How old you’ve grown, Jack.” he hissed, hearing the sharp gasp of surprise and feeling his throat strain against his hand.

“what is this? just kill me if that’s your aim, i don’t want games.”

he couldn’t help but laugh. Jack didn’t even know who he was, did he even know he was alive? had Ziegler told him the same thing, had he gone to reyes’ funeral? was there a gravesite for him too? he reached up slowly with his free hand, carefully pressing the release on his mask and pulling it off his face. “Look at me, Morrison. Look at what your pride has wrought.” he growled.

Those eyes stayed forward, looking straight through his chest, but the surprise was so obvious after he’d spoken without the mask modulating his voice. why wasn’t he looking? why was he just staring forward like an idiot? the rage rose again, tightening his hand around his throat. “look at me, Morrison! look at what you–”

“Reyes..” Jack choked harshly, and god above there was that hand in his chest again clawing through his rage to squeeze the breath out of him when he heard his name in that voice again. “Look at me.” he demanded again, and he watched jack’s eyes struggle in their sockets.

“i can’t.”

it came like a whirlwind, stealing the air in his lungs all over again as he looked down into jack’s eyes– cloudy and white, the skin around them scarred. The fire. Jack was blind, eyes too damaged by flames to be healed properly. How could he fight? how was he still so efficient?

The visor. the mask, that big red beacon he wore on his face– some kind of aid, like his old one– sending schematics and data into his head. he distractedly wondered how it worked exactly, but the other man’s voice pulled him back like a slap in the face.

“Gabriel, that’s really you? you died, you… you were dead, i went…. i went to your funeral.” he laughed again, mirthless and cold, and jack flinched under him.

“you’re one to talk, they had one for you.” he hadn’t realized his hand had fallen away from jack’s throat, not til the man choked on his own cold laugh, blood pouring from his lips and spattering across the front of reyes’ chest. he pulled his knee off the wound before he could think about it, hearing the wet gush of blood soaking the jacket further.

he had hands on him before he could protest, weak and shaking against the skin of his face. Jack’s gloves had been shed and his fingers were rough, calloused, brushing over his jaw and nose, over his cheeks in a more familiar way than he felt comfortable with. he latched onto those wrists to stop the movements, the look on his old friend’s face making him feel sick.

“you’re so different, your face…. you’ve gotten older too, scars and…” another cough, his head lolling back sharply.

he didn’t know what prompted him to give Jack his life, the one he had intended to take away from him all over again. he moved off of him, activating the med pod he’d dropped earlier. he stared down at jack, breathing weakly as the wound in his side slowly knitted itself closed. Ziegler could take care of the blood loss later when she found him there.

his world felt flipped, rolled on it’s head, and the tightness in his ribcage didn’t go away even as he redonned his mask and burst back into the battle, calling a retreat. everything was changed, suddenly he questioned everything he was doing now, everything he had done before. when amelie asked about it later, he told her never to bring it up again. he’d have to face him again, he knew that, but this would give him time to decide what he was meant to do now.

————————

he woke up back on the base, exhausted and in the dark. he could hear shuffling, and angela’s familiar gait around the bed he was in. Gabriel was alive, he was alive and angela surely knew and hadn’t told him. Gabriel was alive and he was working for talon, he was the shadow around the battlefield called reaper– like a ghost, winston had mentioned him once, having broken into his lab. something had happened to him, after they’d both died in that explosion– something awful, something so much worse than he could have imagined.

he would ask angela about it, later, when he didn’t feel so confused and exhausted.

for now, he would sleep. and he would think about how to bring his friend back. how to bring back the man he remembered, the man he loved, the man he’d betrayed so deeply. He would do it, if he died trying.

He would bring Gabriel Reyes home.

  
\--------------

  
Blood and fire, the weight of the man he loved who he’d betrayed so deeply crushing his chest as everything came crashing down around them. Those hands around his throat, words spit into his face that had been held in for so long, rotting out what they had, turning It into bitterness and hate. The screaming, the agony, Reyes’ eyes as his breath left his chest under the weight of the fallen equipment and the smoke filling both their lungs.

He woke up in a cold sweat, shooting up from bed and being met with only darkness. Between the visor and is obscenely vivid dreams, it was always jarring to wake up in the dark. His eyes struggling in their sockets like he /should/ be seeing something, but finding nothing each time. He breathed hard, hand pressed just under his sternum, the memories flooding his head and making him feel sick. He remembered their deaths, he remembered his failed apologies choked between gasps and floods of blood from his mouth. He remembered the anger in Reyes’ eyes even as they faded to darkness over him.

It had been weeks since that first battle, since he’d laid hands again on Gabriel’s face after so many years. The image his brain had made from it wouldn’t leave, constantly at the forefront no matter how he tried to brush it away. They would be meeting again on the battlefield soon, he was sure– and he would bring him back. He would make up for everything he’d done, every mistake he’d made.

He should have known that day, the call for a meeting in the swiss headquarters was a trap. He’d let his pride cloud his judgment and he’d allowed his team and Gabriel’s team to go there anyway. He should have seen through it– Gabriel didn’t communicate like that, those words in that mission statement weren’t his, just signed with his name and Jack and believed it.

Whoever their enemies had been that day, they had taken everything. They had taken Gabriel, overwatch, his friends, his team mates. Angela had been able to restore him, besides his eyes– too damaged by the fire at the time. And Gabriel… had she saved him too? She had never told him, they’d had a funeral and she’d cried, and he wondered now if she was crying from the loss or what she’d done. The smoke, Gabriel was practically a ghost, nearly incorporeal, something must have gone wrong. No wonder she hadn’t told him.

And now his identity was revealed, his whole team skirting around him like he was something fragile, suddenly knowing who he was and the weight of his mistakes– what he’d done to overwatch the first time. Lucio was the warmest, sitting with him often and playing music near-constantly. It was comforting when his visor was off, having a consistent source of noise. He could tell he made hanna nervous, as much as he tried not too– he was so different from all the posters and the propaganda they’d made so long ago, from the things she knew him to be.

He trained endlessly, pushing himself past his breaking point over and over. He couldn’t be caught off guard again. The headaches from his visor were getting worse and worse, his brain constantly overloaded with information with no chance to rest. Angela was worried, fussing over him and trying to get him to keep the visor off for a day to give himself a rest, but he was done with these nightmares. He was tired of them, if he had to watch Gabriel die one more time he was going to lose it.

The battlefield was even more chaotic than last time, and thank god for the shimada brothers. He’d never been to hanamura before, and frankly the detail in all the buildings was overloading his visor. He followed after genji’s fast paced movements as best he could, Hanzo always an anchor for him tucked up high and landing expert hits with his arrows. His head was pounding, his eyes blinking harshly behind the visor, trying to clear the smog despite the futility of it. He’d taken a shot to the shoulder, and there was lucio immediately up behind him, Biotics ready with the comforting bass of his music and a bright ‘there you go!’. The headache was lessened for a moment, a grunted thank you as he marched on.

His visor alerted him to a presence to his left, far off still, but unmistakable. The word 'REAPER’ blinking unsteadily in the corner with no statistics to follow, unable to track properly. He couldn’t break from his team, not yet, there was so much to do– they needed to move forward, they needed to bring the talon agents to heel first. He stuck close to Hanzo’s position, keeping them focused on him so they wouldn’t notice the archer up high.

The battle raged, and Gabriel– Reaper, still hadn’t made a real appearance. His name kept blinking in his visor here and there, but not once did he actually see him. They were being pinned now, Angela and Hanzo stuck behind him with Hanna, lucio and genji up to far to help. Angela was doing her absolute best, keeping her Biotic on him while he stood ahead to spray his pulse rifle into what felt like a flood of agents– his visor was being overloaded again, so many statistics flooding across the screen. If he could shut his eyes to it, if he could close off the information for just a second, he could get it together. He needed to get it together, he couldn’t fail again. He distantly heard hanzo speak through their com, but his brain couldn’t register the words, not now, which was the worst kind of mistake he could have made on the field.

The overload happened in a flood, Hanzo shouting and the light exploding around them, ripping through their enemies in a white-hot burst that seared into the front of his brain like a poker. He distantly recognized his own shout, and angela’s belated attempt to grab his face to block the visor, to give it nothing to analyze for just a moment– but he was already falling. He hit the floor, angela kneeling beside him desperately wresting the visor off his face. Now it was darkness and agony, his head throbbing and his breath coming short. He heard the sharp clicking of hanzo’s feet hitting the ground and rushing to them. He could still hear the infantry moving in, and they were stuck and he needed to have his gun in his hand– he needed to protect them.

“give me my visor, angela!” he shouted weakly, “there’s more comin’, I can hear 'em! Give me my visor, i’m fine, I can still fight!” he was a soldier, he had a duty to do, he needed to protect his team. If they’d been overrun who could know how the other three were doing. He lifted himself, met with more pounding in his head and an overwhelming nausea. He shut his eyes tight, hand flying up to press over them as if it would do any good at all while angela protested, saying they needed to retreat. They couldn’t without the other three, he couldn’t leave them, there was no way. He flung his arm out, startling angela so she dropped the visor which he snatched from the ground and forced it onto his face. He grabbed his pulse rifle, holding it so tight he couldn’t feel his hands.

“Mister '6!” he heard Hanna’s voice call through his com, “Where are you? There’s a whole group of them splitting up, we can’t get back!”

  
“we can hold this down, but are you guys stuck?” Lucio this time, and angela answered befor ehe could say anything. “we’ll come to you, don’t worry! Ran into a bit of trouble, but we’ll be fine! Keep going!”

he could hear the troops approaching, another mass of them– there was no way they could get through them all, not again, Hanzo couldn’t pull that trick out a second time so soon. “get ready” he growled, harsh and prepared. If he could keep his team mates protected, that’s all that mattered– he’d get them through this, he was determined.

He was barely functioning, but the word that blinked onto his screen drew his attention immediately, singular and all consuming: 'REAPER’, there again, and this time it didn’t leave. His visor struggled to understand the smoke that materialized just ahead, between them and the troops, until it manifested properly into the shape of who he knew now as Gabriel. He was pointed towards the troops, shotguns up and at the ready. He was pointed… at the talon troops? Reaper was part of talon, what was he doing?

“Get up, Old man.” came the rhasping voice that barely sounded anything like gabriel, that mask modulating it. He forced his legs to hold him up, standing and lifting his rifle. His head felt like it was about to explode, tears stinging his eyes even if they weren’t the thing causing such discomfort. “Angela, him too.” he said quickly, and he heard her reluctant hum of understanding.

The struggle was long and arduous, shots fired endlessly and wounds stitched back together with quick bursts of biotic– fighting alongside Gabriel again, moving in sync like they always had before in the days before. He could barely see even with the visor anymore, his brain so overtaken by the information flooding in.

he heard the shots before he understood what was happening. Angela and Hanzo were both shouting, and there was a swirling just above him with gunfire so close it almost hurt to hear it. He was on the ground again, for the second damn time in the mission, and everything felt muffled and half-gone. Everything was different again, he was moving– something warm against his chest, or… he was against a warm chest, carried like a damn child. It was belatedly he realized that everything was black this time– his visor was gone, why was his visor gone?

“put him here, he needs to rest.” that was angela’s voice, and the sharp response was a surprise. “he’s resting now. Tend to the others.” that was gabriel. He could feel the rumbling of the voice in the chest he was pressed to; Gabriel was carrying him. They were in the plane now, going back to the base, and gabriel wasn’t putting him down. He blinked his useless eyes, and let them close again.

The final time he woke up, it wasn’t in a cold sweat. It was on something soft, his head resting on something warm and firm. He could feel his eyes open, blinking carefully into the darkness that met him. He felt whatever his head was resting on shift, and then a hand brushing against his forehead. “Took you long enough to wake up, Old man.”

Gabriel.

His head still hurt, but the warmth was making it more bearable. “that visor really fucks up your head, doesn’t it? One second you were blasting around like nothing was wrong and the next you were on the floor. Probably shouldn’t wear it so much,  _cabrón_. Especially not right before a battle.” he heard and felt him sigh, “you’ve gone and fucked everything up for me again, Morrison. Showing me your stupid goddamn face again, everything’s fucked. We’ve got a lot of shit to talk about when you aren’t half gone”

 

all he could do was nod, a smile sneaking onto his face. Gabriel was here, Gabriel was coming back with them to the base. He’d fucked the mission up, but this… this was his goal, bringing him back. He’d succeeded in that, at the very least. He lifted his tired arms, and he felt gabriel flinch a little– but the other man let his fingertips touch his face.

He brushed his fingers over his cheeks again, along his jaw, up over his lips and nose and dusting carefully near his eyes. He felt something like smoke when he got there, on the left side– curling out and around his hand. He flexed his fingers around it, letting it slide around his hand like it was some kind of living thing. Maybe it was, it was coming out of Gabriel after all. There was nothing else in his tired brain at the moment, nothing other than the man who’s lap his head was resting in again, finally, after so long. After so many mistakes, after so much hurt and heartbreak and betrayal. He couldn’t think of anything to say, not to this man who he’d hurt so badly– here now, letting him rest against him like nothing had happened.

They would have a lot to talk about later on, but for now, they could be this. He felt gabriel move, slowly bending til their foreheads touched. Jack gripped his face, taking a shaking breath as he felt that smoke curl a little tighter, alter it’s course to stay close, to keep jack’s hands right where they were. If only they could stay here like this forever, everything would be fine. The sins of the past could be left behind, just for awhile, if they could stay like this.

“yeah, we can talk later.”


	2. My Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has a rough time adjusting to Gabe's presence, Jack included.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Porn ahead everyone!!! credit to the amazing visor76/hawkefeathers on tumblr for the glorious idea of blind 76. He's also working on a REALLY gorgeous fic called picture perfect, i suggest everyone go check it out as well!!
> 
> this is real fluffy right now, but i promise it'll get sad again soon. can't have the boys happy for too long now can we :3c

 

\--------------------

'talks’ nearly always turned into shouting matches for the two of them.

 

Even before everything, even when they still held each other close at night and kissed like their lives depended on it, they tended to solve things in a crescendo of voices.

 

He was sitting, because he couldn't trust himself to stand while Gabriel was shouting. They couldn't solve it with a wrestling-match-turned-sex this time, partly because jack wasn't coordinated enough with his visor off but mostly because it probably wasn't appropriate just yet. They'd forced him to leave it off for three days now and he was really starting to feel jittery without the ability to see even just a little. Gabriel, as familiar as the sounds of him were, were new to him now and sometimes unsettling. He was very good at sneaking up behind jack, and the sudden low rumble of his voice has cause a few accidentally spilled drinks and shattered objects too close to the edge of the counter. Angela had taken the visor, so he couldn't even sneak it on when he was alone-- he had no idea where it was, and no one dared defy her direct command not to give it to him.

 

The way Gabriel's voice echoed off the walls in this room was so new, it made it hard to focus-- to really listen to the words he was saying. He kept his head tilted down, which he could tell irritated the other man at-- he seemed to consistently forget that jack was blind now without the visor, the disconnect strong and easy to recognize. The others did it too at first for a long time, seeing him function perfectly fine with the visor on for so long, to have him suddenly requiring slightly different treatment had been hard for them to adjust to. The first 'look at me!’ Gabe had hissed at him was met with a very angry 'i can't!!’ and Jack's arms in the air waving around his face-- dead eyes not tracking them at all. The silence had been almost mortifying,

 

“Golden boy, face of overwatch! Do you know how sick I was of it? You getting all the credit, the spotlight, the appreciation when my team and I were doing the dirty work under your feet?” Came Gabriel's hissing voice, loud and getting louder. “I was picking up your pieces and covering your mistakes the entire time, jack, and what did it get me, huh? I was gone for a /month/ when talon got my squad, and you didn't bat a single goddamn eyelash.” Jack lurched at the information. Talon had taken him? Why had he never known, why hadn't he been told? He remembered that month very clearly, missing Gabe so sharply for such a long time. He'd tried to get more info about where they were, if they were alright, but everyone was tight lipped and harsh.

 

“Gabe, I didnt--” he started, but the other man practically snarled at him. “A month, jack! You didn't notice me being gone at all!”

 

“I did notice!” Jack's voice was clear and bellowing, “I noticed every damn second you were gone! I thought there was nothing to be done about it, both of us leading our own teams, off on missions for weeks at a time. I noticed the fact that you weren't right next to me so keenly, don't you fuckin dare tell me I didn't!”

 

“Then why didn't you /look/?! Why didn't you search, why didn't you come find me! Why--”

 

“because I didn't know, Gabriel!” He was nearly screaming, his own voice ringing in his head and into the silence that suddenly filled the room; unsettling and uncomfortable. “No one told me you'd been taken. You know full well I'd have come for you, guns blazing if I knew. Don't you? They kept everything from me, and for God's sake I'm glad they didn't put you in my place because if I saw them turn on you the way they turned on me I'd have killed the lot of them!” but he had, now that he thought about it. They'd let gabe get captured and refused to allow jack to rescue him. And all he'd done was stare, confused, when Gabe told him to fuck off.

 

He couldn't see the expression on his face, and the whole thing felt very isolating. Like talking to a wall, unable to tell what Gabriel was feeling or thinking. He heard the careful step forward, the pad of Gabe's foot against the tile ringing like an alarm in the sudden silence. “Talk, Gabriel, I /can't see you/.” He pleaded, but there was no response. He felt everything boil up under his skin, distantly aware that his fists were shaking on his legs.

 

“I know you hate that I got chosen, I know it hurt-- I should have talked to you about it before, I should have been more careful-- and I should have seen through that fucking trap when it came through, but I didn't. You were so angry with me and I was so blinded by it. I let us both be lead there to our fucking deaths and I didn't do a damn thing to stop it. And then you were gone and it was my fault, I'd let you die without understanding what was going on. I didn't send you that summons to Swiss HQ, Gabriel, I didn't send it. And you didn't send one either, did you?”

 

He heard Gabe's feet stutter backwards on the tile, and thank God for that because the surprise was evident for once and it helped his frayed nerves just enough. “It was a trap and I didn't see it. I should have, and I didn't. This… all of this. It's my fault. Guess blindness is a pretty fitting outcome, considering.” He let out a short, mirthless laugh. “And I know if you'd been put in charge instead of me, none of this would have happened. Everything before--it was you, you were the leader, the commander, the head of it all and you lead us to success. My leadership ended in failure, on a bigger scale than I could have imagined. They took everything from us, but I let it happen. They distracted me and cut me off at my knees, and it killed all of us in the process.”

 

“What the /hell/ have you been doing the past few years, jack?” Gabriel's voice sounded strained, like he was barely containing the emotions inside him. Jack could hear the soft fizzling of the smoke from the other man's skin. he learned it happened most often when he was stressed, or at least got worse. “Running around as a vigilante with a cruel name, blowing things up and tearing things apart. What the hell was it even for, if you already knew all that?” He was angry, the rage rolling off his tongue was potent and choking.

 

“Because I'm going to fix it. I'm going to destroy what destroyed us, and it came from inside overwatch. Talon's got something to do with it, that's why they kidnapped you but let you get back to us--i started there. With talon, I mean. Something was rotting from the inside out from the very beginning, and I need to find it. I need to fix my mistake.” his useless eyes blinked down at what he assumed was the floor. He could practically feel the other man’s eyes boring a hole into the top of his skull, words stuck on his tongue he wanted to get out but couldn’t manage to drag them out of his mouth.

 

“You didn’t send that com. To go to swiss hq, you didn’t send it.” he heard gabriel’s questioning voice, dark and low and near-whispered. Jack shook his head slowly. “Talon sent it.” this part was actually whispered, and the force of it, the weight of it hit jack in the chest so hard he lost his breath.

 

“Of course they sent it. So soon after i came back, knowing how… of /course/ they sent it!” it came out as a roar, and jack heard the smoke billowing out of him even if he couldn’t see it-- the sound of gabriel’s fist smashing against the wall beside them came next and he jumped, not expecting it. “How could i be so /fucking stupid/?” more destruction, the sound of the side table thrown clear across the room. Jack hadn’t thought about talon. Some inside agent, access to critical information and secure com links. Gabriel was swearing in spanish now, he could hear him pacing around the room with that smoke sizzling red hot off him.

 

“Guess it’s a good thing you betrayed them just now, then” Jack mumbled, and he felt Gabriel whirl around on him. “Shut your fucking mouth, Morrison! You don’t know what i did, you don’t know /shit/!!” Jack’s shoulders rolled slowly, a defeated shrug.

 

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know shit, i don’t know what the fuck they did to you-- But i know what they did to us, Gabe. i know what they did to Amelie, i know that someone in overwatch let it happen. Something’s happening , something’s /been/ happening this whole goddamn time right under all our fucking noses. And if it fucking kills me, i’ll get to the bottom of it--”

 

“Don’t,” Gabriel’s voice, stricken with emotion interrupted him and he paused, head snapping up to stare forward-- hoping gabe was ahead of him, else he look like an idiot staring at nothing. “I lost you once already, Don’t you dare go off and get yourself fucking killed after everything i’ve done now to be back here, after everything you did.” he hissed, and suddenly he sounded so much closer-- that smoke that came off him stinging his eyes and choking the air out of his lungs. “You have more to apologize for, Morrison. You have things to make up for, /time/ to make up for.”

 

Jack stared up at him, into the darkness that should have been filled with his face. He hated it. Gabriel was right there in front of him, finally together again and his face was just out of reach. He’d never know al the details, he’d never see him smile again. Even if he looked at him with the visor on, all it did was a vague outline-- he could never see his face go red or his eyes flutter gently, the way his muscles jumped when jack touched him certain ways.

 

“Together.” Jack said before he could stop it, his breath hitching in his chest when he realized it.. “We’ll bring them down together, for what they did. You hear me, Reyes? You know more about all their tricks than i do, time for you to take your place. You always wanted it, i didn’t-- so take it. I’ll be right behind you, just like before-- just like the first time, before i let everything go to shit.” he felt the smoke curl closer, it’s heat making his skin tingle. The sudden fierce grip of his face caught him off guard, gabriel’s hands clutching him like he was deciding whether or not  to crush him. His hands instinctively sprung up to grip the arms that held him, vulnerability making his skin feel as though it was on fire. The smoke curled slowly around his fingers, around his arms, he could feel it slipping through his hair before gabriel’s forehead touched his like the day in the plane.

 

“I hated you for so long…” his voice came out choked, “i envied you, i hated you, i was so sure you took everything from me. And damn you, your stupid face took it all away again. Everything i’d worked up, seeing you like this again… with one look, all i could remember was the good, all the things we had before, everything we shared.” Jack wished he could see his face, it was the only thing he wanted in this moment-- to look at Gabriel, who’s voice was shaking with emotion he’d had mulling around inside him for far too long. “Always bringing me back with those damn eyes, god i hate them.” his forehead pressed harder against jack’s, and suddenly his face was wet. The first little drip startled him, landing on the crest of his cheek.  Soon he wasn’t sure if they were his tears or Gabe’s.

 

Jack let out a shaking breath, his hands moving from gabe’s arms and reaching out a little further, feeling for his waist. It was much smaller in his hands than he remembered, gabriel’s proportions were a bit different. Still heavily muscled, just in a different way now. He pulled, feeling Gabriel’s knees buckle and his weight transferring slowly onto the bed-- one leg on either side of him. This is where they belonged, here together, and he was going to decimate whoever had torn them apart to begin with.

 

“I missed you,” were the only words he could manage to get out of his mouth, their noses budging together now as jack wound his arms around his waist, hands creeping up his back to grip him tight. “Even before, it was empty without you. Without your stupid voice and your singing, and shouting at me in spanish because i didn’t understand. I understand now, i remember every damn thing you said and i oughta hit you.” they both laughed, wet and and quiet against eachother, and he felt gabe shake his head carefully-- rubbing their foreheads together. He was glad these stupid little mannerisms hadn’t changed, gabriel always using other types of attention as excuses to touch him in particular ways. Adjusting his weapons or his uniform, brushing his hand through his hair to move some strays with a snarky ‘gotta be pretty for the camera, _cabrón’._ Jack held tighter to him, like he’d just turn into mist if he didn’t, like maybe he was just a cruel dream.

 

“Don’t get so sappy, old man.” came gabe’s shuddering voice, “always with the sap, you were like that before, too. Always spouting all that sweet shit at me.” his hands moved from his face backwards, pushing those thick fingers into his hair. It was so strange, the way all the sensations on his skin were so different without his sight-- vibrant, vivid, _sensitive._ Every twitch of gabriel’s fingers in his hair he could feel so keenly, the way the pad of his pinky finger was sitting right at the joint of his skull and his spine, the palm of his hand cradling just behind his ears where jack could feel his pulse thrumming-- _Alive._ God, it was real. The sort of choked sound that came out of him at the sudden burst of true realization that this was _real_ was embarrassing, and suddenly his face met with the warm, wide expanse of the other man’s chest. “Yeah, yeah. It’s real, i’m here. Listen.” he felt one hand carefully cover his exposed ear, turning his head a little so the other one was pressed against his old friend’s chest. The heartbeat that pulsed into his ears made his whole body shake, it was _real._ It was a little weaker than it should have been, fast and a tad stuttery, but god it was proof this was really his gabriel, back again in his arms.

 

“You’re here. God, you’re really here, you’re alive. Knowing my luck this was all going to be a fucking cruel nightmare-- where i wake up all alone again. God… Gabriel, you..” he turned his face in, pushing his forehead right to the center of his chest. “I’m so sorry. For everything.” he felt the inhale, sharp and paired with a clench of gabe’s hands in his hair and around the back of his neck. He never apologized, not really. There had been fights, sarcastic shouts of ‘well so-rry’ at him. How foolish he’d been back then, not just…. Not just listening. Listening to gabriel’s hurt and taking it to heart instead of feeling personally attacked by him.

 

“You need to stop talking so much before you say something really stupid, _Rubito_.” he wasn’t blonde anymore, but the familiar nickname made his chest tight as Gabriel tilted his head and bent down fast-- crashing their mouths together in a desperate flurry. He felt the smoke again, distantly, too distracted by how both familiar and unfamiliar it felt to kiss him again. His teeth felt sharper, he had a scar on his mouth on the opposite side of his own that hadn’t been there last time. Everything else, though-- the full force of it, the way gabe knew exactly the way to move his teeth and his lips and his tongue to pull jack apart piece by piece. He was an expert, always had been. He could feel gabe pushing him back, his spine rolling slowly til his head touched the mattress. The weight of the other man against him, so familiar, like a dream he’d had so many times. They were shifting now, carefully pushing and pulling eachother to reposition on jack’s bed so they weren’t hanging off the edge of it. He hadn’t meant for it to get here so fast-- always one to move a bit slower, their first time had been delayed for so long because jack was nervous and not ready. But he was ready now, he was more ready than he’d ever been to have gabriel against him after everything, after he’d thought he’d killed them both.

 

Thick legs pushed his apart, nudging underneath them so his own were hiked up around gabe’s hips. Large hands started at his knees, sliding oh so slowly up and over his hips, his waist, hooking under his shirt to pull it along with them. He heard gabe’s breathing shake, felt it against his mouth, as his fingertips grazed against his skin. Those wide hands wrapped around his ribcage, one on each side, pulling him closer like he couldn’t possibly get close enough; pressing the swell of their still clothed erections against eachother. Jack groaned, unable to contain himself at the glorious jolt of stimulation that he could feel in his damn bones. He supposed being blind wasn’t so bad, if it made him this sensitive. His spine curved sharply when he felt the pads of gabe’s thumbs slide up, brushing over his nipples and forcing another loud sound from his throat. They moved low, tracing the gentle swell of his pecs. He wasn’t sure when his own arms had fallen back, haloing his head on the pillow while gabe kissed him hard enough to make up for the years and years apart.

 

It was odd, not being able to see where the other man’s hands were going to go next. They’d played around with blindfolds before, or with jack’s face forced down into the pillows-- but this was so different. Before, he could lift his head or ask for the blindfold to be taken away; but now, it was only blackness. Absolute and unwavering dark, making everything such a surprise. Every movement was unanticipated, a bright burst of stimulation in the darkness. Gabe’s hands pulled his shirt up, over his shoulders and head and off. He heard the gentle thump of it hit the floor, and suddenly that mouth was pressed to his throat and all he could do was shout. He scrambled to find gabe’s head, pushing his fingers into his hair as he moaned into the abyss. Hands on his hips held him fast where he was, gabriel grinding up against him slowly and in rhythm with the dark bruises he was putting on his throat with his mouth.

 

The flood of stimulus was cut off almost as suddenly as it had crashed over him, gabe leaning back away to kneel above him for several long seconds. He couldn’t hear any movement, but he could almost feel those dark eyes dragging over his skin. His eyes searched uselessly in the dark, flickering back and forth in their sockets til those hands landed on his sides again, gently this time. “How do you manage to still look so good, spread out under me like this? _Mi cielo…”_

 

He couldn’t help but chuckle, breathless and warm. “Speak for yourself.” his voice sounded strange in his own ears, and he took his opportunity to sit up, hands landing on gabe’s hips to hoist himself up close. He pushed his face against his stomach, hands quickly pushing the soft material of his shirt to move it out of the way of his skin. He kissed and felt his way over his torso, beginning the map of his body in his brain-- building an image, rebuilding it, replacing the one he had before. His skin was softer, the scars that dusted it already feeling older than they should. He breathed out over his diaphragm, feeling gabe shudder softly under the attention. His hands urged the shirt up under his armpits, and gabe took the hint to get it off. He licked a stripe up from the dip of the end of his sternum up, having to pull gabe down just a little to reach the sharp joining of his collar bones with the very tip of his tongue. He heard him swear gently, the twitch of his cock inside his sweatpants making jack sigh.

 

He hooked his fingers in the waistband of gabe’s sweats, pulling them first over the beautiful slope of his ass and then letting it catch and pull his cock down before it sprang free. He had to plant his feet, legs open wider than was comfortable to get them down to his knees, where gabe all but scrambled to get them down his calves and off. “Slow down, gabe, shit.” he laughed softly, those big hands landing immediately on his shoulders to push him back down.

 

“You always wanted to go slow, _amado._ ” he was breathless, mouth back on his throat and collar before he could protest. There would be time, he would make time to learn gabe’s body again. For now he let the sensation carry him, moaning and gasping into the dark under that skilled mouth. He took advantage of gabe moving again, hands working to pull his own sweats down. “Yeah, well, now i can’t see you with my eyes. Gotta do it with my hands, but you won’t give me the damn chance.” the chuckle got cut off by a sharp gasp, those lips pressing just above his naval surprising him. “Shut up, _rubito._ You owe me.” he couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face, “i’m not even bl--” he was silenced by another harsh kiss from gabe, so desperate and needy.

 

The friction of skin on skin had him groaning into that expert mouth immediately. Gabe wasted no time pressing them together and rolling his hips like it was his damn job. Their cocks, both slippery with pre-cum, sliding together and taking his breath away. Hands up again-- he remembered how much gabriel loved it, proven by gabe’s hands landing on his wrists, pulling them up further and making him spread out more; his back arching, legs tightening up around his waist. He swore they stayed like this for hours, rutting together and gasping into eachother’s mouths; kissing desperately, unable to get enough.

 

Gabe eventually pulled back first, leaving jack panting, chest heaving, and he heard gabe literally purr. He heard the sound of that smoke again, sizzling on the other man’s skin; it was tickling his legs and his hips, up his ribs and over his chest hands following after in a mess of beautiful overstimulation that had jack trembling by the time his hands stilled on his face again. “watching you come apart is like walking right into heaven’s gate.” his voice was so quiet, and jack’s eyes fluttered up at him. Gabe’s thumb dusted under the left one, tracing over the crest of his cheekbone, feeling the scar tissue around his eyes from the fire. He wasn’t sure what was going through gabriel’s mind, but he needed to move him off it-- he knew what those shallow breaths meant, and now was not the time for them.

 

He lifted his own hands, running his knuckles up and down gabe’s chest and stomach. “Side table…” he said softly, “the one you didn’t throw. Lube’s in there. Might need a bit more work than before, it’s been awhile.” he rubbed his fingers over his ribcage, and gabe peeled himself away finally.  He felt the bed shift, the weight of the other man disappearing completely and the sound of him rummaging in the drawer keeping jack grounded. There was silence again after the drawer closed, though, which made the sudden hand on his inner thigh even more startling. He jumped, and gabriel chuckled lightly at him.

 

The weight was back, moving over the bed and back between his legs. It was all so strange, such a familiar feeling being suddenly so forgein because of the new surroundings, the lack of sight from it all-- he had no idea when gabe would touch him again, and every time he did it was like a shock to his system. The kisses he started planting on his thighs made him tremble, soft little gasps escaping him til they turned into full moans at the introduction of teeth. He could feel gabe leaving dark bruises again, and he didn’t hear the click of the lubricant bottle over the sound of his own gasps and cries.

 

He had to clap his hand over his mouth to muffle the shout from the sudden brush of a slick finger against his hole, and he heard gabe growl between his legs around a mouthfull of his skin. The intrusion of that finger made him writhe, gabriel’s name falling off his lips like a prayer as he immediately pushed in deep and found a rhythm-- how gabriel remembered what turned him instantly into a shaking puddle of a man. There was too much at once, his limited senses totally overloaded by the multiple points of sensation. Anytime gabe’s mouth moved he jumped and had to stifle a cry. God, he hadn’t felt anything like this-- never, not even before everything had been destroyed. His body reacted so naturally to every touch, and hearing gabe’s humming and purring and growling against the skin of his thighs made him quiver. By the time gabriel was finished with his fingers jack was more puddle than human, his whole body trembling gently as the other man sat up and back away from him, giving him some time to cool down. He went to roll over-- have had always like him down on all fours--, but was stopped immediately by a strong hand on his hip, pinning him there to the bed.

 

Gabe clicked his tongue at him, and chuckled at the confusion that spread on Jack's face. “No, not this time. I want to see you, feel you…” he was moving while he spoke, carefully lifting Jack's hips to slot them against his own, legs back around Gabe's waist. This hands traveled up and up, til they were tangled in Jack's above his head-- stretching him out tight, leaving him a little breathless. “That's it… I want to watch you come apart.” There was something in that sentence that jack couldn't place, but there was no way he was going to think about that now while the blunt head of Gabe's well slicked cock was pressing slowly into him for the first time in years. His body knew this, even after so long-- it knew Gabe, it knew to relax and breathe slow while the impressive length and girth of him moved deeper and deeper.

 

By the time he was fully seated, jack was a wreck. He was trembling so hard he thought he would slide right out of his skin, and the noises that were constantly leaking out of his mouth were desperate and small. He wanted to see Gabe, to watch him tilt his head back and breathe the way he did before. He wanted to watch that chest heave gently with the effort not to rocket his hips away into him, to see his eyes flutter at the ceiling. He squeezed Gabe's hands with his, and the other man bent slowly forward; canting Jack's hips up a little more and making him gasp when he pulled and pushed in a shallow thrust. Gabe was not a slow mover, the thrusts picking up almost immediately and sending jack into an absolute frenzy.

 

At some point their hands broke apart, and Gabe's mouth was at work leaving more and more love bites and bruises across his chest. His hands were digging into Gabe's back, which only seemed to encourage him if the growling was anything to go by. The sounds he made were unhindered and desperate, consistent with every attention Gabe paid his skin. It all felt like heaven, like this is where he was meant to be, spread out under Gabriel reyes as a writhing mess desperate and needy, calling his name and reaching for him every time he thought he was going to peak. Gabe was a master at making it last, overloading him with sensation only to sharply cut it all off if jack got too close.  They kisses and Jack had a turn leaving his own set of bruises in between the shouting as Gabe's hips worked their magic.nd loud. He was coming undone, all his strings pulled one by one by the only man he’d ever loved-- carefully plucked in just the right order, and jack would never let him go again. His hips got faster, thrusts harder and sharper, angled more now and taking the air right out of jack’s lungs. They were budging up against the headboard of the bed, his neck starting to crane to keep his head from knocking back against it, til he felt gabe’s hand tuck itself behind and cradle his skull in his palm. He pulled, and jack inhaled sharply at the new angle and the sudden press of his face to the skin of the other man’s throat. He took quick advantage, not missing a beat, dragging his teeth and biting and suckling dark purple marks into the smooth expanse in between all his noise.

 

He was already so close, surrounded by gabe’s scent and the soft grunting, feeling him buried deep inside him, all the sensations were dragging him towards the edge faster than he wanted. He wanted more time, he wanted it to last-- he was so afriad that gabe was going to just…. Disappear if it ended. But he couldn’t keep this up forever, the coil of his orgasm low in his stomach was building up pressure and all he could do was gasp desperately into the other man's shoulder and call his name into the dark as everything crashed around him. It felt a bit like death all over again, wrapped in Gabe's in the dark while his breath tried to escape, bliss filling every fiber if him as he shot thick white streams between them. The sensation of Gabe filling him up made his tried legs tremble and the harsh, marking bite to his neck coaxed or a long moan as he carefully slowed his pace--practically stroking the inside of him with his pulsing, softening cock.

 

Their foreheads meet again, pressing together gently and all jack could do was sigh slowly, his arms moving up from where his fingers were dug into Gabe's back to cradle his face in his palms. “Don't you go off on me again…” he said quietly, “I can't lose you again, not again. Not when I've got you back, back like this…” his useless eyes fluttered closed, and Gabe kissed his eyelids gently like that would do anything. Maybe he was finally getting sentimental after all these years. “Go to sleep, mi cielo. I want to see you like that again, too.” He teased, carefully pulling himself away to get them something to clean up with, jack assumed.

 

They'd fallen asleep wrapped up in each other's arms. Or jack has, anyway, he had no way to tell if Gabriel had fallen asleep or not. He had no nightmares, no dreams, just the pleasure of walking up with the other man still wrapped tightly around him--protective arms curled around his torso and face buried against the vulnerable back of his neck. He heard him hum, clearly awake, when he realized jack had stirred. “No sleep for you?” He asked quietly, rolling slowly in his grip to meet the mouth that had started prassing kisses to his skin now that the fear of waking him was gone. “Don't need to.” Was the easy response between kisses, already open mouthed and intrusive. Not that jack minded, they had quite a few years to make up for as far as kissing was concerned. He was getting older, though, and his stamina and drive were Lower than they had been-- some nice rolling about for an hour in the morning was more than enough for him. They could save more action for later.

 

They walked out of Jack's room together, and unfortunately for him he'd forgotten about the obscene number of fresh, possessive bruises Gabe had left on him. He couldn't see them, another case of out of sight out of mind. Gabe had the good sense to put on a hoodie and a high collared athletic shirt, apparently, aince the first thing Angela said to them was; “I see you two have… made up. I suppose you have a matching set, then, reyes?”, In her light hearted and sweet tone. The team laughed, including Jesse mccree who seemed to be loudest--not that he had any room to comment, he nd hanzo had shaken the damn base with their games and their noise more than once. Speaking of mccree, he felt Gabe leave his side a moment after and heard his quiet steps over to the side of the table Jesse was sitting at, next to the ever fidgeting hanzo. His team mates life noises were so familiar to him by now, he could pick each and every one out like it was nothing. Zarya moved positions often, restless while sitting. Lucio's music through his headphones and the gentle shuffle of his clothes and hair as he bobbed back and forth to the beat. Hana always had a game system in her hand, the light clicks of the keys and thumb pads easy to hear. Genji and zenyatta had their gentle fans and whirring of moving internal parts. It could be too much sometimes, all those tiny noises amplified so much by his lack of vision, so constant and droning when he wasn’t wearing his visor-- but for now, it was comforting. He could hear gabe talking, but Angela  had put her hand on his arm and drawn his attention away for a moment. He turned his face towards her, blinking into the dark as he focused on her instead of the tense conversation between gabe and jesse happening across the room.

 

“We’re going to go quiet for a little while, since Reyes is here.” she said firmly, and shushed him sharply when he opened his mouth to protest. “We can’t risk it, Jack. You know that, the second we pop our heads out they’ll shoot them right off-- I’m not going to put their lives in danger for your aims, not with stakes this high. We lie low, we stay quiet. We’re going to be gathering intell, try to make this a little more precise instead of charging headlong like you so like to do.” he frowned, and she clicked her tongue affectionately at him.

 

“We’ll need to move around.” Gabe’s voice chimed in, closer than jack had expected-- he was so quiet, was he always going to be like this? “Talon’s specialty is gathering information. Can’t sit still too long, or they’ll sneak right in like spiders and we’ll all be dead.” he felt angela flinch at the specific reference not lost on her, and her hand moved from his arm. “The base in hanamura, that’s the safest. We’ll go there next, i’m sure the brothers would be happy to go home?”

 

The tension in the room was unbearable, he could hear hanzo’s metal feet clicking on the tile floor under the table and angel’s sharp intake of breath to protest, mccree exhaling that damn cigarillo so hard jack could taste it across the room. “Listen to him, Angela.” he said quickly, before anyone could say anything. “Just… listen to him. He knows them better than we do, if he says hanamura is safest we’ll go there.”

 

“And how do we know it isn’t a trap! He is a talon agent, this could be a ploy!” Hanzo, of course it was hanzo. He knew better, he’d spent so much time listening to Jesse’s stories about Gabriel. Luckily jesse was smart enough to think the same thing, shaking his head and standing from his spot beside him. “Because owl-face over here pretty much sealed his fate helping us in the first place. Now i don’t know much ‘bout all this covert ops business, but i’m pretty sure killin’ a buncha your own men to save the enemy is grounds for divorce. Not to mention sleepin’ with ‘em.” jack could almost feel the smirk on the younger man’s face, and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “‘Sides, i like hanamura. Food’s weird, but it’s nice. More comfortable than sleeping in these shitty dorms, anyway.”

 

Angela huffed irritably, and sighed so hard he thought her ribs would break, but she resigned. “Alright, Fine. When you think we’ve stayed too long here, we will move to hanamura. These are not soldiers, Reyes, and you will not treat them like soldiers. Do not put their lives in jeopardy unnecessarily, or there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me?”

 

“Funny phrasing, coming from a lady who dresses like an angel.” gabe snorted, and jack wanted to pull his hair out. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on their movements. They’re easy to read if you know them, and at the first sign of trouble i’ll give the signal and we’ll move.” he finished, more politely this time, and his hand slid to rest on jack’s lower back. “Jesse will help, sly little fuck knows more about covert ops than he says he does.” the gunslinger stiffled a chuckle across the room, and he heard everyone shift carefully in their seats to stand. Jack moved a little closer to gabriel, who put pressure on his back to guide him from the meeting room, Though not before hana slipped in front of them.

 

“Thanks for saving him.” her bright voice chirped up at gabriel, who stiffened next to him. “We were all really worried. And You, Mr. ‘6, you need to tell us next time! We’re a team, we’re here for you. Got it?” he couldn’t help but chuckle, nodding awkwardly down at her, “Yeah, yeah, alright, enough. I got it.” she hummed, a suspicious inflection in her tone. Lucio had sidled up next to her while she held them there, his music clicking off before he spoke.

 

“‘Preciate the help, man. Help us keep an eye on him, yeah? Don’t know what we’d do without him around. Good to have you on the team-- Gabriel, right? I’m lucio.” he heard him stick his hand out, and felt gabriel hesitate a moment before shaking it. “Ni~ce. This is Hana, by the way. Lookin forward to workin’ with you, man! See ya!” the two of them left in a chorus of chatter as quickly as they’d come, and they were free to leave the room again which Gabe seemed very keen to do.

 

“Damn, Old man, didn’t know _papi_ would end up literal.” he teased, and jack swatted him in the chest with a huff of laughter. “Oh, shut the hell up. They’re nice kids, and they’re my team. And unlike you, they’ve got some damn manners. Be nice to them, you hear me?” Gabe clucked his tongue at him in response, and they made their way down for breakfast.

 

\-------------------

 

It was just shy of a month before gabriel gave the hurried signal that they needed to ship out. Angela had kept the visor out of his hands the entire time, much to his frustration, but lucky for him gabe had kept him occupied. They packed up quickly, traveling in pairs over the span of several days to hanamura.They got word a few days after their arrival that gibralter had been raided, and the meeting had turned into an all out brawl of shouted voices and insults.

 

“You said ‘first signs’!” Angela had shouted, with winston and Lena backing her in a chorus of agreement. “A few days is not first signs! I told you not to put their lives in danger!”

 

“They aren’t soldiers! They’re volunteers, we can’t risk them like this!” Lena, tongue sharp as an arrow, shouted after.

 

“This was too close, how do we know next time you’ll be wrong? How do we know they didn’t get to close and see us leave?” winston’s dark voice, loud and bellowing from his chest, hurling accusations at gabe.

Jesse was trying to interject, shouts of “Now see here!” and “Settle down, partner!” to no avail. Hanzo’s stern voice claiming Gabe had tricked them, lead them into a spider’s web. That they’d been followed, that gabe had gathered them all here at once to be killed. Even reinhardt had called him into question, to jack’s surprise. The whole thing was giving him a splitting headache, listening to the cacaphone of voices rising like a tidal wave, louder and louder.

 

“They didn’t! I chose that time for a reason, if you’d listen for one damn second!” Gabriel was so much louder, somehow, standing right next to him with his voice echoing around the room with a force that could shatter glass. Everyone else went quiet, the tension mounting sharply. “They tracked us, they found us, and then they /pulled away/. They regrouped, to hit us full force, thinking this was their chance. We went in small parties, took different routes-- we left no clues, that’s why jack and i left last. I wiped everything, they /can’t/ track us as quickly as before. If we’d bolted the second they locked on we’d have all been killed the second we arrived.” he hit the table, “You bastards put me in black ops back then for a damn reason, this is the shit i /know/. I knwo all their little games, all their tricks. I saw their mistake and i took advantage of it, and now we’re safe. It’ll take them at least a year to find us if we’re careful about it. Now would you all relax about it? We haven’t had a single ping since we got here, we’re /Fine/.”

 

Jack set his face in his hands as the argument devolved, Gabriel trying to defend himself against a chorus of voices calling him a double agent, a liar, a traitor, and it all broke. He smashed both fists on the table top, standing sharply and roaring into the room. “Shut up, all of you! Shut up and listen, For once in your goddamned lives! He put his life on the line for us, he saved all our lives twice now and you’re going to call him a liar? Are you fucking with me?” his eyes moved uselessly around the room, holding a finger up to point even if he couldn’t see who he was pointing at. He was at the head of the table with Gabriel, it would get the message across. “You’re all being fucking Childish. Hanzo, angela, you were right there when he saved our asses! We’d have been killed, and He jumped lines for us. He betrayed them, they want to kill him too!” he heard a chorus of ‘that’s right!’ from the younger members to the left and right, and he quieted enough to let lucio get a word in, “He’s done nothing but work to keep an eye on their movements, we’ve all seen him doing it!” then hana just after; “he showed us what to look for if we left the base at all! He’s been working hard just like the rest of us, it isn’t fair!”

 

“They are Correct.” Zenyatta’s ever calm voice chimed in gently, “Gabriel has been working very hard, genji and i have been assisting him very actively. It is Deeply unfair to claim he has tricked us, he very clearly has not.”

 

Jack sat back down, exhausted and nauseas from the thrumming pain in his skull. “Now then, can we cut this bullshit out? Honestly. We’ll meet again thursday for a plan to resume operations, after everyone gets settled in. Hanzo, You give Jesse and Gabriel a better run down of the security in this place. Angela, Wintson-- No, shut up--, you get set up with Zenyatta and Genji down in the labs. Tomorrow i want Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Zarya and Pharah to work on beefing up security where we need it. Lena, i need you to do a run-through survey of the area outside the base with Lucio and hana. We’ve had no pings, but lay low-- go out and be kids for a day and get a good look at everything. Dismissed.” he’d never been so tired after a meeting in his damn life, and as everyone shuffled out of the room he heard every frustrating little quip and it just made his headache all the worse.

 

Gabriel’s hand on the back of his neck startled him, but he relaxed back into it and let out a low sigh. The other man bent to press his mouth to jack’s temple, a strong thumb rubbing into the tense muscles right at the base of his skull. “Feeling alright there, _papi?”_ he asked, and all jack could do was sigh again. “They’re so damn /loud/, gives me a headache.” he grunted, slowly getting up from his seat to move towards the door. That hand pulled him back carefully, keeping him planted right in front of the man it belonged to. “I’ve got to go with Angela and winston, i’ll talk to them some more-- see if i can get them to be less paranoid.”

 

“You don’t have to do shit, _papi._ Go relax, you didn’t even go towards the door just now, you’d have walked right into a damn wall if i hadn’t stopped you. Lie down for a bit, or go out with the little ones for some food or something. Actually, definitely do that second one. I’ll let you know when we’ve finished, and we can work some of that tension out.” Jack laughed, shaking his head a little. “Alright, alright, _commander._ Wish Angela had given me back my damn visor so i could get to know this stupid building better-- i’ll get fucking lost trying to find anything.” he sighed, And Gabriel kissed him calmly to get him to relax a little bit before they parted ways.

 

He had to send a comm to hana, when he took too many wrong turns in these endless goddamn hallways trying to sort out where she and lucio and Lena had gone to get ready for their day out. Hadn’t been a bad idea, really-- taking a day to go out into the surrounding city. He just looked like some kind of Chaperone, being lead around with hana on one side and lucio on the other, Lena just ahead of them deciding where they were going next. They’d spent lots of time in little shops, and more arcades than he could count. He’d eaten a bunch of very strange food shoved into his hands by all three of them. He was quiet for most of it, listening to hana and lucio’s conversations with Lena’s random interjections in her bright voice. Hana was an expert at blending in-- only one younger kid in an arcade recognized her as D. va, and even then she denied it with a sweet voice and an apology for getting his hopes up. “I wish! Such a nice compliment that i look like her, though!” she’d said.

 

The comm from gabe said they’d wrapped up later in the evening, but he finished out their little tour of the city before heading back. Hana had bought him some silly gifts, and each of them had decided to buy nice yukatas under the guise of ‘when in rome!’ to lounge around the house in, even if Hanzo had given them plenty to wear if they chose. Lena had picked his, and hana told him the colour would look nice-- not that he knew or really cared, since he couldn’t see it anyway. The blasted things were tricky to tie anyway, he doubted he’d ever actually wear it.

 

When he got back, Gabriel was waiting for him. “Souvenirs already? You’re such a tourist, _cariño”_ he purred. Jack’s headache hadn’t quite abated yet, but the proximity to gabe certainly helped. One arm slipped around his back to rest, and they walked down the halls together to get back to their shared room. They both had their own, but jack’s had been claimed as the bedroom since his bed was bigger. “I didn’t buy any of this, they all insisted on getting me stupid little things. I think one of them is a mug, i have no idea what it says and none of them would tell me. Lena picked out a yukata, which is just going to rot in my closet unless someone wants to put it on for me.” he snorted. “Hana said there was one you’d have liked, apparently. Lucio said it was cool, looked like black smoke.” he heard gabe chuckle, his hand moving up his back, His fingers walking gently up his spine like a staircase. They stopped to curve around the back of his neck-- his thumb resting just under his ear at the joint of his jaw. His grip was firm, and the familiarity of it eased his tired mind a little. The last week had been hectic, they’d barely had time to spend together that wasn’t sleeping or working, and the moment of respite was a welcome one.

 

It felt like the old days all over again, working out their stress together. Gabriel pulling the bags from his hands to drop them to the floor, those rough hands sliding across his skin while he peeled his clothes off. Every touch eased the headache, and they spent the next hour making sure it was well and truly gone.

 

\----

 

He hadn’t had a nightmare since gabe came back, so the one he had was crushing. The vividness of them was always startling, but this one even more so. Blood more red than his eyes had ever seen it, witnessing everyone he loved falling in front of him, around him while he was left standing in the middle. And gabe, spread in front of him just out of reach-- like his feet were stuck in the blood under him, holding him there where all he could do was scream and reach. The keen image of the life leaving gabe’s face again and again, like a broken recording, before everything sank into the murk of blood and he was drowning in it.

 

He woke up screaming, for the first time in years. Flinging upwards to try and escape. The blindness had always made it hard to come back from nightmares, the images flashing in his brain since his eyes couldn’t give him anything to replace them. The blood was everywhere, in his mouth and eyes and sliding through his hands. He couldn’t get away from it, couldn’t escape it couldn’t--

 

Suddenly, solid ground. Arms around him, manipulating him, turning him, pulling his face in til he felt firm pressure on his forehead. He heard his name, over and over in a voice he’d thought he’d lost again, pulling him back to reality. His bed. gabriel’s skin, his smell, his hands. His voice, calling to him calmly, telling him where he was and who was holding him. Urging him to breathe, he felt himself be gathered quickly close, and he desperately clung to the voice that pulled him back. The nightmare faded to darkness, and the gentle sound of gabe talking to him-- telling him to breathe, to relax; that he was here and everything was fine.

 

It wasn’t for easily almost forty minutes til he was calm enough to take full, deep breaths. Gabe had laid them back down, and was pulling his fingers through his hair slowly. “Nasty one, eh, _amado?_ It’s alright, i’ve got you.” he hummed, voice casual despite the lingering terror still lurking in jack’s bones.

“If i have to watch you die one more damn time i’m going to lose it.” he chuckled, an anxious sound just to try and get some of it out. He heard gabriel laugh, felt it rumble in his chest where jack’s face was resting now; the sound was more comforting than he’d ever vocalize.

 

“It’s barely 2am, go back to sleep, Jackie boy. I’ll be right here when you wake up again, even if it’s another nightmare.” he felt those arms tighten around him in a careful squeeze and then loosen up again. He didn’t really want to go back to sleep, not yet. Not when he could lie here and listen to gabe’s heartbeat, to his voice while he hummed.

 

He sat up after a few minutes of resting in the quiet, Gabe's humming cut off by his surprise. He slung his leg over the other man's hips, sitting on his thighs carefully and feeling anchored by the sudden presence of hands on the joint of his hip and thighs. He stayed upright, carefully reaching out to move his fingers over Gabe's stomach, his chest-- his arms, his throat, his hips. He made a map, slow and meticulous, of the new Gabriel Reyes. Maybe if he solidified the image in his head the nightmares would understand. Maybe if he had a picture for him now, a new picture, it would keep the image from the explosion out of his mind. Gabriel seemed to understand, and held very still for him while he worked-- even if he was a little tense, that snoke sizzling gently off him and catching Jack's fingers over scars. That seemed to be their main vents-- deep scars and war wounds slowly healing.

 

He saved his face for last. His fingers moved in slow, sweeping motions over every inch of skin, mapping every curve and scar and bump. He really was different. His face seemed a little wider than he remembered, a strong jawline with less hair than he used to have, Only a thin layer now. His fingers dusted over his closed eyes, over his nose with a notch in it from being broken one too many times. “What color are they?” He remembered the beautiful dark chestnut that they were before, nearly black in low light but in the sun they went amber and glowed.

 

“Not the same.” Gabe's voice was tense, holding the information behind his ribcage even if it wanted to spring out. “What color?” He asked again, his thumbs lingering just below the on his cheeks.

 

“They went red, the whites are black now.” He sounded broken over it, and his chest ached so hard he was sure it would stop his heart. He leaned forward, kissing the closed eyelids like maybe he could assure him it really didn't matter.

 

“No wonder you wear a mask.” He teased, his smile clear so Gabe could relax, and he did. He finished his task slowly, fingers running through his hair and counting the earings he remembered from their youth in his ears. He ended on his lips, slow traces and gentle touches before he leaned in to kiss him again, as long as Gabe would let him.

 

This time, he slept peacefully, his arms around gabriel’s torso to assure his nightmares he was here-- to ward them away.


	3. It Whispers, So Listen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out Talon left a little surprise for Gabriel and the rest of the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO it's finally finished!! thank you everyone for all your support, i really appreciate it!!
> 
> I had a beta for this chapter, the glorious [Shrupdedup](http://shrupdedup.tumblr.com), so you can thank them for the pacing and phrasing being much smoother in this chapter!!
> 
> Also, i want to point out now that the slang words gabe uses are Colombian spanish-- my translator is the beautiful [irethinglorion93,](http://irethinglorion93.tumblr.com/) so if anyone reading this speaks a different dialect of spanish and is confused about the words i chose, this would be why!
> 
> also thank you to [Visor76](http://visor76.tumblr.com) for the beautiful brainchild that is blind76, and i truly hope i'm doing it justice!! check out their absolutely phenomenal fic [Picture Perfect](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7193885/chapters/16326950) while you're at it!!

“I swear to god if I have to listen to them screaming again I'll lose my damn mind, Reyes.”

 

This was the third day in a row Jack had been woken up in the middle of the night by Hanzo and Jesse's disturbingly loud copulation. He supposed he didn't blame them; they'd been on separate missions for almost two weeks and certainly deserved a bit of a reunion, but lord above did it have to be right next to them?

 

“Don't think you've got any room to talk there, _bulloso_ .” He could _hear_ the smirk in Gabriel’s voice and Jack was going to slap him.

 

“I am not that loud, don't you compare me to that.” Jack huffed, pointing at Gabe before reclining back into his chair. They'd been in Hanamura for three and a half weeks. Normal operations had resumed after one very intense week of arguments and heavy reconnaissance missions to be absolutely sure they hadn't been tracked or followed.

 

They'd subjected Gabe to a battery of tests and scans to be sure he didn't have any kind of tracking device or wire on him, much to Jack’s personal displeasure. Jack had sat in on every one of them. Angela seemed to have lightened up a little after the tests had revealed nothing nefarious. Her voice was warmer, asking Gabriel how he was feeling whenever she saw him, her wariness of him diminishing with every interaction. Winston was still deeply suspicious. Gabe _had_ nearly killed him when he raided the base, but normally the ape was reasonable when presented with facts. They'd found nothing, obviously, though Angela was in a flurry about the state of Gabriel's existence.

 

He'd learned during the scans that the nano machines that Angela used to heal had essentially taken over Gabe's cell functions when he died. she’d gotten to Gabriel much later than himself, and the damage to his cells was far too severe. She’d done everything possible, and while she succeeded in her revival it  left Gabriel a fundamentally  different thing than before.

 

he was arguably  more machine than human now. the nanobots destroyed  and rebuilt cells at such an alarming rate it was hard to track. The smoke was the waste byproduct of their work. after years of having them around Gabe had learned to pull his physical body apart, resulting in his wraith form. The nanobots would then use cell memory to rebuild him, stitching his body back together. To be honest, he didn’t understand much of the finer details of it. Angela had explained in great detail, rambling on and on about exactly how they functioned, but he’d only managed to get the basics.

 

Jack hated watching the tests. Gabriel was so tired afterwards, and in agony every time. The rebuild was painful, and he rarely could reshape properly at first. it took several hours for the bots to rebuild the familiar shape of Gabe’s face and body. Gabriel explained that it was why he wore such heavy gear in the field. and the mask. the form he took when he first reshaped was not pretty. It looked more like some kind of demon, featureless face with only a mouth and eyes, according to Angela anyway.

 

Jack had to take her word for it. His visor really didn’t give him any details about Gabriel’s form besides his heat signature and a vague outline when  he was solid enough. Sometimes he could see those red eyes glow, blinding through the tone of his visor.

 

They’d finished another test. Angela was exploring ways to make the bots better, since they were old tech now. They’d evolved, getting more and more effective at rebuilding Gabe. Angela wanted so desperately to take away the pain of it all, since she’d worked on improving her technology over the years. This was her fault, after all-- her determination to save him had resulted in his new biology, painful and unstable. Jack was pretty sure Gabriel still hadn’t quite forgiven her for it yet.  

 

This was the closest jack had come to witnessing gabriel sleep. If he did sleep at night when they were curled up in bed together, he woke before Jack. every time he stirred the other man was already awake and aware. Right now though, Gabe was very still. It was a little unnerving, not quite like sleep, more like recharging. his breaths came slow and light , heat signature low and uneven compared to normal. Jack brushed his fingers over his not-quite-solid arm, feeling the ripple of the nanobots as they were disturbed and decided it was too much to sit here and wait.

 

He stood, chair scraping against the ground. Leaving the medbay, he wanted to let Gabriel rest as much as he could.The grueling and constant tests were taking their toll on Gabe. He needed to talk to Angela, since no one else would, not even Gabriel. For this chance for his pain to end, for angela to redeem herself, Gabe was throwing himself into the tests with quiet determination.

 

Jack pulled the visor off when he got out into the hall, giving his tired and recently headache-prone brain a little rest. He took a deep breath at the sudden darkness even as his brain registered sparks of light. It dulled out before he heard the light click and jingle of McCree’s spurred boots and the barely detectable tap of Hanzo’s artificial feet-- like a deer, that one, quick and barely a sound.

 

“Howdy there, Jack!” Came Mccree’s drawling, bright voice. Jacksmiled in return, sure he heard the brush of fabric of Hanzo bending in a greeting despite the fact that the archer knew he couldn’t see him do it. He noticed belatedly that Hanzo’s gait was off and blinked.

 

“Have an accident there, Hanzo?” Jack asked. The quick breath of surprise from the other man made him chuckle. “You’re limping. I can hear it,” he hummed, by way of careful explanation.

 

“You notice more blind than you did when you could see, pardner.” McCree laughed, and Jack heard him pat Hanzo’s shoulder lightly. “Go on in, then, I’ll keep ol’ Jackie here company while you see the doc.” Jesse hummed. the sound of Jesse planting a kiss to the man’s temple echoed through the hall. Hanzo scoffed at him before he did just that-- uneven gait heading through the doors Jack had just left.

 

“Waitin’ on Reyes?” Jesse inquired, closer to him now but off a smidge, probably against the wall. “Hanzo dropped funny in a simulation we were runnin’, prosthetic got damaged at the knee,” he explained casually. Jack turned towards the sound of Jesse flicking his lighter “Been causin’ him some trouble lately. Thinks they might be ill fittin’ or somethin’.”

 

“That sounds right.” Jack nodded. “His gait’s been a little uneven since he got back from the last mission. Not this bad, but I noticed before. Figured he did too, s’why I didn’t say anything.”

 

He heard Jesse’s back thump against the wall, followed by a low chuckle. “Damn, Morrison. Those ears ‘a yours feel like they might be even more of an asset than yer eyes,” he teased.

 

Jack hummed a huff of laughter, “Yeah, well. Feel pretty useless most of the time. Can’t really aim by listening.” He shrugged, turning the rest of his body to face Jesse. “You and Gabriel been talking much? Only thing we normally hear from you comes at two in the damn morning balls deep in your archer friend.” Jackteased, eyebrows flicking up as he fixed his useless eyes where he assumed McCree was standing.

 

The sputtering the gunslinger gave in response made him laugh, properly this time, and he shook his head a little. “Oh, relax. Though you might want to tone it down a little. If i lose a whole lot more sleep ‘cause of you there’ll be trouble.” He pointed, and the laugh that came out of Jesse was golden warm and brought him back to his Overwatch days so fast it felt like whiplash.

 

“Morrison you are a piece ‘a work, yanno that? Lookin at me with those damn eyes without seein’ me. Still feels like yer pinnin’ me to a wall, like before. Always with the disappointed Dad eyes, darin’ me to do somethin’ else stupid.” Jesse spoke through his laughter.Jack  heard him shake his head. “Amazin’, it really is. Yanno, i’m glad you got Reyes back. I dunno how you did it, but i’m hap--”

 

An arrow losing itself, and screaming interrupting Jesse. They both jerked at the sounds. Jack took off first, back into the medbay where he was met with the sound of a fight-- Angela was screaming, Hanzo shouting in Japanese. The noise of the nanobots hissing and releasing smoke, growling a dazed and terrifying ‘Overwatch….’ like it was a spell, a curse. It stole the breath from his lungs.

 

Jesse described the image of it to Jack later: The vague shape of Gabriel looming over a fallen hanzo, arrows speared through the half-solid form. Mouth half-formed and open wide, sharp teeth bared like some kind of monster ready to strike. He looked like a cloud of death, Billowing dark smoke while the nanobots worked overtime to make him solid for a killing blow.

 

Jack’s instincts kicked in fast. He swung his hand out to where McCree stood just behind him, groping for one of his flashbangs before throwing it hard between gabe and hanzo, knocking even the not quite solid form of him back. He rushed forward, crashing into the spongy mist, throwing gabriel to the ground and landing hard on top of him. Jack found his arms, grip tight and forced them to the floor even as Gabe struggled. He had to keep Gabe down. Listening for the clear from Jesse that he’d gotten far enough away, Angela shouted to bring Hanzo into the next room.

 

“Gabriel!!” Jack shouted, the smoke like a suffocating toxin swirling around his arms and his chest, burning his throat. “Listen, Gabe!! Listen to me, listen to my voice!! Gabriel!!” Jack choked, trying to sputter out more words, bring Gabe back to the present, bring him back to real life. He grabbed Gabe’s  face, leaning forward to push their foreheads together-- or whatever was currently there instead of his forehead. He was solidifying fast. Jack could feel his skin forming under his fingers as the other man lashed out under him. Newly formed fingers dug into his sides trying to throw Jack off. “Gabriel!!” it stung. God it hurt, the smoke stinging his eyes and his mouth like it was trying to get in and rip him up from the inside.

 

It came to a stop faster than it had started. The pressure from Gabe’s hands turned from crushing to clinging and Jack heard a sharp intake of air, like he’d just burst from under water. The smoke pulled back and Gabe was solid and shaking.  “Jack...?” Gabe whispered, voice sounding small.

 

He needed to move fast; something was very, very wrong. “Yeah, yeah it’s me. I’m right here. You’re in Hanamura at the base. You’re safe.” He used a stern voice even as his lungs burned and ached, even as he struggled to breathe. “Stay with me, alright? I’ve got you.” His thumbs moved in slow passes over the other’s cheeks. Gabe’s chest heaved under him as he tried to sort out what had just happened.

 

“What happened, Gabe? I need you to tell me. We need to get to the bottom of it.” he said quickly, but immediately felt the other man’s panic rise and his breath quicken, “Hey, no, stay with me. I’ve got you. Tell me what happened.”

 

“Something’s wrong, I couldn’t-- nothing--” his voice was faltering awkwardly, and the sound of it made Jack ache. “Like a hijacking, like what happened at first, couldn’t control-- I couldn’t--”

 

A hijacking. Talon was trying to hijack him. The realization struck Jack like a train, and he shook his head. “Hey, relax, okay-- Gabe, relax, breathe, it’s fine now. You’re solid, you’re here, it’s fine.” the unsaid ‘but it hurts’ was clear  in Gabriel’s labored breathing and weak grip. Jack started to move, carefully peeling himself away to hoist Gabriel off the floor and onto  weak legs. “I’m going to get Angela. I need you to lie down on the bed-- I’m not sure where it went, I can’t see it.” Gabe nodded carefully, and they disengaged from each other. Jack hurried into the next room, thanking the stars he knew the layout of the med bay.

 

“Angela! Status!” back into the fray, he supposed.

 

“No injuries,” came her shaking voice, trying to be strong and firm. “Everyone’s fine, just… very shaken. Your end?”

 

“He’s back. Talon’s trying to Hijack him, Angela.” He moved further into the room, bumping into a few chairs and a utensil table that had been moved in their rush. “That wasn’t Gabe, something’s wrong. We can’t keep doing these tests, not til we figure out what’s happening--”

 

“I knew it!! We all knew it. He is dangerous! A spy, sent here to destroy us in our beds!” Hanzo shouted, angry and visceral, “How dare you bring danger to us like this!! And for what, the sake of some lost romance?”

 

“You,” Jack bellowed, eyes fixing dead on hanzo’s face. He was satisfied with the sharp intake of air from everyone in the room. No one was going to say those things about Gabriel, not anymore. He was putting an end to this now.

 

“If I hear one more disrespectful word out of your mouth I'll put your arrows down your damn throat. Gabriel is as much at risk of hijacking as your brother is. How  would you feel if I started shouting at you that he was dangerous and needed to be put down? Not another damn word, boy, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.” His voice was quieter this time, firm and strong and dripping with the truth. If he had to destroy someone for Gabriel, he would not think twice.

 

“Angela, I need you.” He heard her hesitation, felt it fill the room, and he was _tired_ of this. “Now, Angela!” He heard her recoil when he shouted, but turned quickly to go back into the room with Gabe whether she followed or not.

 

He walked in with gentler steps, making his way to where he could hear Gabriel breathing. He felt around for the edge of the bed, judging how much space there was between it and Gabriel's body. Jack hoisted himself up to sit, reaching to dust his fingers through the man's hair. He was out cold, thank God. His breathing was labored, and Jack distantly registered the gentle drip of blood. The arrows had been knocked loose when Jack had rushed him, the half solid form expelling them as a nuisance. They had done enough damage to keep the wounds from closing and mending when he solidified.

 

He heard Angela's footsteps, and fixed his dead eyes on her immediately. “Hanzo's arrows pierced him, the bots didn't close the wounds all the way. He was already half solid” Jack’s voice was tense and sharp; he needed her to fix it. He heard her nod, breath shaking as she gathered supplies and hurried over.

 

Jack stepped back and listened. He shut his eyes, focusing on the sound of the needle and thread and the gentle 'swip’ of the scissors. He listened to Gabriel’s breathing as it gradually began to slow and even out.

 

“He isn't a monster,” he said firmly when he heard the tell-tale click of Jesse’s boots cautiously enter the room. “He's here to help us. You don't treat an injured ally this way. We don't even think of Amelie that way.”

 

That ground hard into Jesse and Angela, memories of their lost comrade making them flinch and shift in place. “We support them. We help them through it. We get to the bottom of it, and we stomp it out. Understood?” He was directing his words at Hanzo now, eyes dropping to where he assumed the man was standing beside McCree-- he was so quiet, sometimes it was hard to pinpoint.

 

“I apologize for my outburst.” The archer responded, sounding ashamed. the noise of hanzo bowing sharplymade Jack's eyebrows raise minutely. “Please accept, it will not happen again. Jesse has assured me it was not our friend who attacked me. I see my mistake.”

 

Jack nodded firmly. “Thanks for understanding. Once Angela is done she can help with your leg, but I think it's best if you lot clear out til he wakes up.” He heard them all nod and hum in understanding. He heard Jesse walking to him, slapping his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “We'll get it sorted, pardner. Don't you worry too much, Reyes came back to us--he's here to stay, y’hear? We won't let them take him again.”

 

Jack felt fondness for the gunslinger swell in his chest, and he smiled at Jesse. “Yeah, I think so. Go tell Winston when you get the chance. Go with Angela; he'll be right pissed off about it and she can talk him down. We need a more thorough scan--viruses, sleeper agents in the bots, anything.” He said firmly, and Jesse nodded. “You got it, Commander.”

 

Once they left, he pulled his chair next to gabe, dropping into it to wait until he woke. He wouldn't let them take him again, Jack had mourned his loss twice now-- he would not allow a third. He would destroy anyone found in connection with this. He would take all of Talon down on his own if he had to. Devastation was in their future at the hands of the man they'd tried so hard to bring to heel-- never kick a bleeding dog, he supposed.

 

Jack was awoken by a hand on his face, startled into sudden alertness by the contact. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, and ached from his awful position in the chair. Fingertips ran gently over his cheek and jaw,Gabe's hand.

 

“Hey, you're awake.” Jack rumbled, sitting up from his awkward position to lean into Gabe’s hand. “How do you feel?” He took Gabriel's hand, sighing as he repositioned himself to sit on the edge of the bed. He felt Gabriel curl like a protective dog around its Master's legs.

 

“It's a virus,” Gabe said quietly, mouth against Jack's knee. “In the nano bots. I can still feel it, like an itch, like a poison.” Hewas so quiet, the sound of his voice made Jack’s chest ache. The resigned agony that clung to every word felt like a knife between his ribs. He’d never seen Gabe like this, not even after nightmares and mission failures and the loss of friends. Jack combed his fingers through damp curls, protectively bending over him. He was lucky Gabriel was not the crying type. Hearing that would be a bullet to the brain.

 

“I’ve got you,” he murmured firmly, his voice soft and trembling, as if it were a secret. As if the walls could hear him and would condemn them for it. As if talon could hear him, through whatever it was they poisoned Gabe with. Jack had him, and would not be giving him back.

 

\-----------

 

The scans were thorough, precise, and they yielded _nothing_ . They told _nothing_ , gave _nothing_ , showed _nothing._ By the eighth hour Jack was wrecked, listening to gabriel’s discomfort over and over again while Winston ignored Jack’s requests for a break. Angela was there, doing very little to help him bring Gabriel’s comfort level up. Winston shooed the both of them off with gruff arguments that the safety of the base and its crew was top priority.

 

Jack was beginning to think he was making Gabe suffer on purpose. Winston’s  distrust was evident in his harsh tone and lack of interest in the man’s well-being. The strangled grunt that came out of Gabe sent Jack careening off the deep end, when the electrical node winston was using to probe into Gabriel’s skin went too deep from the ape’s carelessness. Brushed off with a quick “Oops, too hard”, Jack rocketed his fist into the wall, feeling the bones in his knuckles splinter from the shock.

 

“Enough!” he roared, “Enough, I’m taking him back to the bunks. Now. Get your hands off him. I’m sick of listening to you torture him over some stupid fucking paranoia. Get your shit together, then we’ll try again.” he stormed forward, but Angela grasped his arm -- when did she get so strong?-- and pulled him back.

 

“Jack, he has to disengage. Wait for a moment, I’ll handle it.” her tone was stern, level-headed and strong, “Winston, stop. End the test now,” she demanded, and finally Jack felt like maybe he had her on his side properly. She was serious, voice clipped like he’d never heard when she spoke to Winston, her partner in science.

 

“My tests haven’t finished, Angela, he’s / _dangerous_ /, we can’t have a virally infected Monster--” he didn’t get the chance to go on the defensive this time. Angela immediately beat him to the punch, cutting Winston off.

 

“Do _not_ call one of our allies a monster. You know better than this, Winston. Gabriel has consented to every test, has not complained a single time even when you injure him and refuse to let me assist. He is just as afraid of this as we all are. The monster here is you, for treating him with such blatant disregard for his safety.” Angela did not shout. Jack had never heard her shout, but her voice was full to bursting with the kind of raw anger that came from deep inside. The heat of it reminded him of Hanzo’s dragons, all-consuming and terrifying.

 

He heard her heeled boots click across the floor as she pushed into winston’s space, willing him out of the way before gently pulling  the probe from Gabe’s skin. In an instant the anger was gon, just like those dragons., she gently  told Gabriel to let her give him something for the pain so he could get some rest.

 

Winston’s heavy body shifted back, gait awkward and shambling while he gave off a very specific kind familiar of anxiety. The kind that came from realizing you might be wrong. Jack paid him no mind while he waited. His split knuckles throbbed at his side, the delicate sound of blood hitting the floor echoed through the room like a ricocheting bullet.

 

It took some time for Angela to make sure Gabriel was alright. Although Jack was keen to leave the lab as soon as she was done, she clicked her tongue sharply and demanded he let her treat his hand. He let her wrap it while Gabe sat close by, quiet and observing.

 

Having Gabriel’s eyes on him was unnerving. He was so quiet and still-- even Angela’s quiet voice chiding him for doing something so stupid didn’t comfort Jack much under their stare. She finally let them both go, and Jack rushed the two of them out the door. Gabriel lagged a little, his body tired and weak from the battery of tests. The electricity used in most of them left him aching and fatigued, muscles twitching and jumping from so much stimulation.

 

“Not to the dorms,” Gabe’s voice rang soft beside him. Jack’s arm was looped around his waist to help keep him steady. He turned his head to Gabe, blinking against the dark in confusion.

 

“You.. need to rest, gabe, you’re exhausted,” he argued, but felt gabe shake his head hard.

 

“Not there. If I sit in that room for any longer I’ll lose it. Outside, the gardens,” Gabe decided firmly, and really was he honestly expected to say no? Jack sighed, slow and loud, and agreed.

 

“Oh, mister ‘6!” Hana’s voice rang from behind them. It was a testament to his own exhaustion that he hadn’t heard her approaching. Lucio followed her, as always, and called out after her.

 

“Heey, haven’t seen you two in a while!” Their paces quickened to catch up-- Hana on the right, Lucio on the left by Gabe. “You feelin’ alright, G-man? Movin’ a little slow.” Jack could practically feel the younger man’s frown, emotions present in his every word.

 

Gabriel seemed tense, moving awkwardly against Jack’s side as they were flanked by the two younger members of the team. “Why don’t you two join us?” Gabe’s voice came as a surprise, softer than he normally spoke. “We’re going to sit outside for a bit. Not really fair that you’re getting left in the dark.” Gabe was going to tell them about everything. Angela and Winston had decided they shouldn’t spread the news of the virus, so no one else was afraid.

 

“Hangin’ out with the old heroes!” Lucio cheered. Hana laughed brightly on the other side.

 

They followed Jack and Gabe out to the gardens. Gabriel led them to a comfortable little spot under a huge tree perched at the edge of one of the cliffs overlooking the wide ocean. The sun would be completely set soon, the warmth of it already sitting low on the horizon. Jack couldn’t see it, but he could feel the  way it seemed to relax the rest of his little entourage.

 

Gabe sat heavy, leaning much of his weight against Jack’s left side. Hana decided to follow suit, dropping herself against his right and tucking in close. He liked Hana, she was sweet and sharp and enthusiastic-- and so smart, he could barely keep up with her sometimes when she talked.

 

“Hey now! That’s not fair, he’s only got two sides! Lemme get in there _somewhere_!”Lucio scoffed from above them. Jack laughed at his words.

 

Jack was surprised to feel Gabriel shift. A deep chuckle rumbled out of his chest as he opened his own side for the younger man, whose joy was palpable. “Woah, really?” Lucio chirped, and Gabe nodded.

 

“Yeah, yeah. get in here, _pelado_ , Before I change my mind,” Gabe teased warmly, and Lucio all but crashed into their huddle. Jack laughed again, the arm he had curled around Gabe’s waist tightening. These two wouldn’t be afraid, he should have told them earlier, They’d been on their side since the beginning, supportive and kind even when he’d first shown up and the others were suspicious. They trusted Gabe, trusted them both.

 

“I’ve got a virus,” Gabe said after a lengthy silence, comfortable resting in the sunset. “The ‘bots that keep my body alive, that let me turn to mist. Talon’s got something in there, something that lets them hijack me. Happened the other day in medical. Angela running some of her tests must’ve triggered it, or something.” He paused, letting the two of them decide whether to run or stay-- letting them decide if they wanted to be afraid. It was no surprise to Jack when he felt Lucio wiggle closer, the tiniest shift, the two of them listening intently. Gabe continued.

 

“Attacked Hanzo. I don’t… it was like a haze, a bit. Those dreams you have where you watch yourself do awful things, and can’t seem to stop even if you want to. _Como una pesadilla._ ” He breathed, slow and tight, like it struggled to get out of his chest. “Lucky he’s such a spry little shit. I could have killed him. Winston was running tests today, trying to find the virus. He’s still not too keen on me, I think-- _paranoico._ Thinks I’ll hurt you guys, thinks I _want_ to hurt you guys. Can’t find a damn thing,” His voice was resigned, as he went quiet. Hana and Lucio tossed themselves at Gabriel, startling jack with the sudden movement. They hugged him, tight and strong. Hana was the first to speak.

 

“We’ve got you! Don’t worry, Mister Reyes. We’re here no matter what! You saved Mister ‘6, you saved all of us! We aren’t dumb. We know you’d never hurt us on purpose,” her voice was strained, like she wanted to cry, and her arms tightened around Gabe’s neck. She’d pushed Jack out of the way a bit, but he sidled over to give her more space. Gabe deserved this. He deserved the support from these two. He deserved to feel trusted again-- it had been so long for him.

 

“G-man you’ve got me all weepy now, man! Hana’s right, we got you. Winston can’t treat you like that, not while we’re around! And neither can Talon, those dicks. You’re part of the team now, man. We’re not going to let them shake us.” He could hear gabe laugh, and Jack was sure his heart was going to burst from the way it swelled against his ribcage.

 

“Alright, alright, enough of that. What’s with all of you and your sap, damn.” Gabe teased, but Jack could hear him wind his arms around them both, patting their backs. He wondered absently if it had ever been like this before, when Gabe was in blackwatch. Jack remembered how keenly Gabe had taken to Jesse. He’d walked by Gabe’s room once and glimpsed the gang-member-turned-hero’s head on his leg, dead asleep while gabriel hummed him a song. An old spanish lullaby he used to sing to jack. As tough an exterior as he had, Gabe had so much kindness in him. It was something Jack had taken for granted, something he’d spoiled by not taking care of it.

 

The sound of spurs tinging caught him off guard, and Jesse’s voice rang into their little huddle, “Wow, we havin’ some kinda weird party over here or what?” warm and bright, his southern drawl brought heat to the cooling spot under the tree. Hanzo was beside him, gait back to normal, though he stayed quiet.

 

“Woah, hey guys!” Lucio cheered as he and Hana pulled back. “Gabe was telling us about what happened. We’re just showin’ our support. How you doin’, Hanzo?” The bright voices were calming, hana’s laughter making Jack smile as Hanzo shuffled awkwardly and responded with a calm ‘I am fine’.

 

“Come sit with us!” Hana invited, and Jack couldn’t bring himself to protest the growing company.

 

“First,” Hanzo interrupted, voice quiet and not as confident as it normally was. “I would like to apologize. I mistrusted you, Gabriel Reyes. I see i was wrong to do so. I called you a monster, and it was... “ he trailed off. Jackheard McCree shift a little and pat Hanzo on the back. “It was improper, dishonorable. You are my ally, you saved our lives. I have you to thank for our safety. I let my fear blind me. I apologize.” Jack listened to the fabric of his clothing rustle as he bowed deep and fast, holding the position until Gabe scoffed warmly beside him.

 

“I’ve been called worse by people a lot less afraid of me than you were. Apology accepted, now come and sit with us, _parce._ ” Hanzo seemed startled, and Jesse whooped beside him before wandering over to their huddle. The archer followed suit a moment after. 

 

They resituated, making room for the two new members. Hana moved back to his side, Lucio to Gabriel’s,and Jesse dropped his heavy self down smack in the middle, wriggling til they made room despite protests. Jesse pulled off his hat, resting his head against where Jack and Gabe’s shoulders met. He pulled Hanzo down between his legs, making the archer huff and complain in embarrassment-- much to the amusement of the rest of the group--, before he settled with his back resting against the cowboy’s chest.

 

They spent the evening talking, laughing, sharing stories-- Hana, Lucio and Gabe sang, with Jesse joining in loud and off-key to make them all laugh. Gabe started a Spanish ballad with some goading from Lucio, and to both his and Gabe's surprise Jesse joined in. When had Jesse learned Spanish?

 

“Damn, Jack, really wish you could see this sunset,” Lucio hummed when the air had gone crisp and night started to settle around them. “Real pretty over the water, all reflective.” Jack’s fondness for this loud kid grew with every word it seemed, and he chuckled in response.

 

“Yeah, well, sunset’s nothing compared to good company, right?” Jack turned his head, chin bumping Jesse’s head. He felt Hana wiggle closer, slinging her legs over his and tucking her feet under Jesse’s thighs to keep her toes warm.

 

Lucio let out a warm laugh, nodding vigorously enough to shake the whole pile of them, “Too true my man, too true!”

 

“It is beautiful,” Hanzo chimed in, his voice calmer than jack had ever heard it. Not the precise kind of calm it normally was, calculated and cold, it was light and almost breathy, like it had escaped him without his permission. “I had forgotten what it looked like, after so long away.”

 

“The Japanese are supposed to be good at poetry, right? Describe it to me, then,” Jack teased, smile reaching his voice and even his dead eyes. He felt Hanzo flinch and chuckled. He didn’t expect him to actually do it, so when Jack heard a breath he was taken off guard.

 

“The colors are beyond words, reflecting off the water like a mirror. It’s like the sun is going to sleep, dulling slowly as it falls from the sky and the moon takes it’s place. It glows wide here in Hanamura on the horizon. I’ve yet to see a grander sunset than this. Soft, like a goodnight, wide and reaching to everyone who sees it, lulling them to sleep alongside so it isn’t lonely in the night.” The others stayed quiet, eyes fixed on hanzo while he spoke. Only jack had his gaze forward.

 

“Thanks, Hanzo.” he hummed softly, before a chorus of voices started praising him for his words . The archer sputtered and huffed.

 

He felt gabriel’s hand squeeze his ribs, and smiled a little wider than before.

 

Jack felt suddenly far away, back in the tents with all their comrades, his head resting on Gabe’s shoulder. surrounded by the voices of their friends, keeping them safe in a warzone. It felt the same now, tucked close to all these people who cared, surrounded by warmth in the chilly air, keeping each other safe from a world gone mad.

 

Everything was going to be fine.


End file.
